Fitzpatrick, Peter

Australian, b. 1966

BiographyPeter Fitzpatrick’s photograph The Inexperienced Guide addresses the peculiarities and spectacle of the Czech Republic’s capital, Prague. Fitzpatrick combines the approaches of street photography and the artfully staged. What appears as the artist posing in an army surplus uniform and deranged expression is actually a faithful recreation of actual encounters with characters on the street. Hidden within this humorous image is the feeling of displacement felt not only by the artist himself but also the people he encountered on the street.

Peter Fitzpatrick was the Chair of the Photography Department at Columbia College Chicago for eight years (2011-2019). He completed a Masters of Fine Arts Research at the College of Fine Arts, UNSW Sydney. In Australia he has shown his work with the Canberra Museum and Art Gallery, Plimsoll Gallery, Australian Centre for Photography, Casula Powerhouse, Centre for Contemporary Photography and a number of galleries in New Zealand including the Adam Art Gallery in Wellington. In 2001 Fitzpatrick was the recipient of the National Photographic Purchase Award from Albury Regional Art Gallery. The Australia Council funded Peter in 2008 to be an artist in residence at the Meet Factory in Prague. His work has been exhibited at the Pingyao International Photography festival in China during 2010.